Eagle Air
by Snowfall16
Summary: Eagles are a danger to all cats. They spell disaster for AirClan, the Clan of winged cats. When their camp is viciously attacked by a swarm of murderous eagles, a small group of apprentices and kits has to learn to survive on their own. That task is made a hundred times more difficult by the eagles that killed their Clanmates. Can they survive or will they all die? Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A pair of gleaming talons shot past my nose. Leaping back, I raised my eyes and saw the huge eagle that had almost grabbed me. It soared away with a shriek of frustration.

Something slammed into me and I gasped in fear, terrified that a second eagle had snatched me from behind.

Whipping around, I saw it was only my mentor. Robinstripe was wild-eyed with fright and her fur was standing on end.

"Come on, Snowpaw, you have to move!" she hissed, "You can't fight an eagle yet; you have to hide!"

She began shunting me toward the edge of camp, where I could see a small hole amongst the roots of a tree.

"In, in! Get in!" Robinstripe pushed me forward and I stumbled into the dark hole. "I'll see you after the battle. Don't be afraid; be brave." She pressed her nose briefly against my white fur before racing off after an eagle with a fearsome yowl.

"Snowpaw?"

A quivering voice was coming from deeper in the hole. I squinted into the darkness and saw a patch of black and white fur and the flash of bright green eyes.

"Skypaw?"

"Snowpaw, it is you! Thank StarClan you're safe!"

I padded deeper into the hole and crouched down beside my best friend. I could feel her shaking.

"It'll be all right," I meowed.

Empty words.

"Be brave, Skypaw."

Just what my mentor had told me a moment ago. I decided not to say anything else, in case it sounded extremely stupid.

We waited in silence for the battle above to end, listening to the shrieks of eagles and the cries of our Clanmates. Eventually, they both faded to silence.

"Do – do you think the eagles are gone?" Skypaw asked shakily.

"Not sure," I whispered.

"I'll go check."

As Skypaw moved forward to peer out into the clearing, I held my breath. I was scared a pair of talons would appear and carry off my best friend.

"It's clear."

I let out my breath, relief coursing through me.

"But... oh no!"

Worry immediately replaced the relief. "What is it?" I asked hoarsely.

"Maybe you'd better come and see for yourself," was Skypaw's ominous reply.

Once Skypaw had scrambled out of the hole, I climbed up to see what awaited me in the clearing.

Most of the Clan was lying on the blood-soaked grass, motionless. A few cats, who looked no older than Skypaw and I, moved through the bodies. A single, grief-stricken yowl echoed from near the center of the camp, reverberating off the surrounding mountains.

"Snowpaw," Skypaw whispered from beside me, "The only cats I can see are Leafwhisker, all of the apprentices, and all of the kits."

I felt the ground sway beneath my paws and I gripped at the red grass with my claws.

We were all alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Snowpaw! Skypaw! You're all right! Thank StarClan!"

Leafwhisler rushed across the camp towards us, relief displayed across her face.

Leafwhisker was a small, brown and white queen with amber eyes. She had only recently been made a warrior and must have been small enough to squeeze into another tree root hole with her two kits, Mosskit and Windkit.

"Come into the center of the clearing with the others! Oh, Skypaw, Breezepaw's been so worried!"

She led us to where the survivors crouched a little ways away. As we neared the bedraggled, battered group, a large, black and white blur rocketed into Skypaw, knocking her over.

"Breezepaw!" Skypaw gasped, "What-"

"I was so scared you'd died! Breezepaw's voice was muffled by Skypaw's fur. "I was looking for your body! When you didn't come out when the eagles flew off, I thought the worst!"

"I'm all right, Breezepaw, get off of me!" Skypaw muttered.

Breezepaw looked just like Skypaw in fur and eye color – not surprising, as they were littermates – but other than that, they were quite different. While Skypaw was small and short-legged, Breezepaw was muscular, with broad shoulders and long legs.

"Come on, everyone, we need to find out who's here and who's... not here," Leafwhisker called. She had apparently teetered on the edge of saying "dead" instead of "not here".

I padded forward beside Skypaw, who had disentangled herself from her brother and was now looking distinctly ruffled.

"All right," Leafwhisker meowed, "Snowpaw is here. Skypaw is here. Breezepaw is here. Blackpaw is here. Rainpaw – where is Rainpaw?"

I looked around as the gray tabby tom blinked his yellow eyes and replied, "I'm here, Leafwhisker," from his place beside Blackpaw.

Blackpaw's black fur was stained red with drying blood – hopefully not his own – and his blue eyes were narrowed in grief. His wings, the feathers as black as his fur, were folded on his back.

Leafwhisker continued with her role call. "Mosskit and Windkit are here. Stonekit is here. Cloudkit is here. Did I miss any cat?"

Dead silence followed her words, except for the wind rushing around the mountain their camp was perched on.

"Right." Leafwhisker swallowed hard. "We – we need to bury our Clanmates. Breezepaw, Rainpaw, Skypaw, and Snowpaw, could you move the bodies so they'll be out of the way before we bury them?"

"Sure," Rainpaw said, "Come on, Breezepaw. Let's work as a team."

"Ok," Breezepaw agreed.

I glanced over at Skypaw uncertainly. "Should we work together, too?" I asked.

"Yeah, all right," Skypaw replied.

We set off in the opposite direction that Breexepaw and Rainpaw had taken.

The first body we came to was achingly familiar – it was my mother. Featherwing was lying sprawled on the ground, her eyes wide and glassy. One forepaw was stretched in front of her as if she'd been trying to scramble to safety. Three long talon-marks had ripped her fur, the blood still wet and oozing from the scratches. It must have been what killed her.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, I pushed the pain and grief to the back of my mind. I could grieve for my mother later.

I grasped the scruff of her neck and Skypaw grabbed her hindquarters. Together, we pulled Featherwing across the clearing and laid her beneath a tree. Then, we headed back out.

The next cat was – my chest tightened at the sight of her – Robinstripe. Her lips were drawn back in a snarl and her unsheathed claws had clumps of feathers in them. Her neck was broken.

This time, I snagged the fur at her hindquarters and Skypaw took her scruff. We dragged her across the camp to join Featherwing.

As I tugged her hind legs free of where they had caught on a rock, I remembered my mentor's last words to me. "Don't be afraid; be brave."

"Oh, Robinstripe," I thought, "How can I not be afraid? All that's left of our Clan – of AirClan – is a bunch of apprentices and kits! We only have one adult cat – a young queen!"

The other bodies weren't so heartbreaking for me to see, though Skypaw had a bit of trouble when we came across her mother's body. We moved the leader, Dovestar, the medicine cat, Whitebranch, and two warriors, Fogtalon and Shadowpool.

We had just finished clearing the camp when a yowl came from the other side of the clearing.

"Mistpaw! I don't believe it! You're alive!

It was Rainpaw, shouting from the opposite corner of camp. Quickly, I spread my white wings and soared over, skidding to a halt beside Breezepaw.

Standing in front of us, looking terrified but unhurt, was the light gray medicine cat apprentice, her brown eyes round with shock.

"Mistpaw!" Leafwhisker had also flown over, landing lightly beside her. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Mistpaw meowed faintly.

Leafwhisker sniffed at Mistpaw as if to make sure she was telling the truth before turning to the other apprentices and saying, "You know, we need to choose a new leader before Moonhigh."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I stared at Leafwhisker. The way she had said those words, in that offhand way, was incredible. We had to choose a leader from amongst ourselves, but I thought it would have to be a long, tedious affair.

"Now," Leafwhisker continued, "I cannot be a leader and neither can any of the kits. They are too young and I have to take care of them."

She swept the four kits to her side and padded over to where the nursery stood at the edge of camp. I could see them silhouetted against the moon, which had just begun to rise.

"I don't want to be leader," Rainpaw meowed, a quiver in his voice. I glanced around at him and could see his wide eyes and the fur standing up along his spine. "I'm the youngest apprentice! Don't make me lead a Clan when I only know basic hunting skills and fighting moves!"

"It's ok, Rainpaw, no one will make you be leader if you don't want to be," Mistpaw reassured him.

"How about Blackpaw?" Breezepaw asked.

Blackpaw didn't answer. He was still crouched in his position of grief. I wondered how long he'd stay like that.

"No," Skypaw said firmly, "Blackpaw needs more time to recover from the shock of... of losing his family." her words died a little in her throat and I saw grief flickering in her eyes.

"All right, then, how about Mistpaw?" Breezepaw suggested.

"All eyes turned to Mistpaw, who had frozen, staring at Breezepaw. "Are you as mouse-brained as you look?" she meowed incredulously, "I'm the medicine cat. The MED-I-CINE CAT!" The last few words she said were spoken loudly, and had every syllable separated.

Breezepaw looked at his paws, evidently abashed. "Right," he muttered, "Sorry."

Skypaw broke in presumably to take the attention off of Breezepaw and to save him from further embarrassment.

I was wrong.

"Now that Breezepaw has proved himself to be a complete idiot," Breezepaw hunched his shoulders and flattened his ears, "we can figure out who will be the next leader."

She paused, looking around at the other apprentices. "I think the oldest apprentice should be the leader, as they would have the most experience."

Rainpaw nodded. "That makes sense. You and Breezepaw are the oldest, right? As you're littermates, I suppose you could choose between yourselves who should be the leader."

"Come on, Rainpaw! We're missing one very important cat!" Skypaw exclaimed. She turned and stared straight at me. "I think Snowpaw should be the leader."

I stared right back at Skypaw. She had to be joking!

But the other apprentices were nodding, looking at me. I felt myself shrinking beneath my fur.

"Skypaw's right," Rainpaw meowed, "Snowpaw would make a great leader!"

"I agree," Breezepaw said, glancing at his sister, "Great idea, Skypaw!"

Skypaw dipped her head in acknowledgement of Breezepaw's words.

Finally, I found my voice. "You all must be joking! I can't be a leader!"

Everyone stared at me.

"Skypaw should be leader!" I ranted, "You saw how she handled this situation; the way she picked the logical choice-"

I froze, horrified at what I had said.

"Exactly," Blackpaw meowed, speaking for the first time, "Skypaw picked the logical choice. You would make a great leader, Snowpaw."

"But-" I protested weakly.

"Snowpaw, you are going to be the leader," Skypaw said firmly, a hint of a growl in her voice.

I looked around at the other apprentices and sighed. I saw no way out.

"All right," I relented, "I'll be the leader."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Snowpaw!"

I heard someone calling my name, but I didn't reply. I was still so stunned that I had been made AirClan's leader.

"Snowpaw!" the voice meowed again, louder this time.

"Wh-what?" I stammered, turning my head to see who had spoken.

It was Mistpaw. "You need to receive your nine lives," she said, "Go and sleep in the leader's den, where you will have a special dream."

I nodded and made my solitary way across the blood-soaked camp to the small cave that was the leader's den.

As I curled up in the stale moss that still smelled of Dovestar, I looked around at the three dark, damp sides of the cave and felt a cold wind ruffle my fur. It was too empty. Shivering, I drifted off into sleep.

Stars swirled before my eyes as I floated through darkness. The stars circled faster and faster, before starting to form shapes.

Trees emerged from the gloom around me while I felt grass appear beneath my paws.

I crouched in a forest clearing, surrounded by thick foliage. Above my head, the dark night sky seemed so close that the trees around my clearing could sweep the stars to the ground.

A flash of light caught my eye and I turned my head to stare into the forest beside me. Hundreds of cats were creeping toward me, stars glimmering in their fur. They sat in a circle around me, their wings folded and their eyes sparkling like ice.

I spotted a familiar face in the sea of cats. Robinstripe sat beside a large, black cat with dark amber eyes. He looked at me with a strange, calculating stare I didn't like.

My eyes returned to my mentor. She was no longer battered and bloody, as I had last seen her. Instead, she looked happy and healthy, her fur soft and recently groomed and her eyes shining with pride.

I managed a small smile, which she returned enthusiastically.

"Welcome, Snowpaw," a cat in front of me said. I turned my head again and spotted Dovestar standing at the front of the crowd. I dipped my head respectfully to my former leader, but Dovestar shook her head. "We are all equals here," she meowed, smiling slightly.

I straightened, staring straight at Dovestar.

"Are you ready to become a leader, Snowpaw?" Dovestar asked solemnly.

I gulped. "No, actually I don't think so," I answered in a quavering voice.

Dovestar seemed to expect my answer. Smiling grimly, she said, "StarClan is willing to give you ten gifts along with your lives. Perhaps that will better prepare you for the burden of leadership."

"Perhaps," I echoed dully, lowering my gaze momentarily. When I raised my eyes again, a cat had moved in front of me.

Treeclaw, the late AirClan deputy, gazed down at me. "With this life, I give you bravery." He touched his nose to my forehead, and I felt a spasm of pain seize my muscles. Tensing my body, I tried to be brave through the pain. Suddenly, the spasm left my body. I drew in a shuddering breath as Treeclaw padded away.

The next cat was my father. Flickerear was smiling down at me, an expression of pride similar to Robinstripe's illuminating his eyes. "With this life, I give you loyalty," he murmured, pressing his nose to my head like Treeclaw had done. "Even when everything looks like it's too much to bear, never abandon your Clan."

I looked up at my father as another surge of pain overtook me. When it had ebbed away, I replied. "I won't, I promise."

The next cat was Featherwing. I felt a fresh wave of grief break over me at the sight of my mother. "With this life, I give you love," she whispered.

Instead of the pain I had braced myself for, my third life was more like a gust of warm wind. It swept through me, gently sweeping aside my feelings of grief and foreboding, leaving only love.

As Featherwing melted back into the crowd of cats, Robinstripe bounded forward. "With this life, I give you wisdom. Use it well to help your Clan survive."

Once Robinstripe had touched me with her nose, a very peculiar sensation began. It felt as though my brain was swelling to contain the knowledge Robinstripe had given me. But it didn't stop – it kept growing and growing until it felt like my skull was about to split open. Groaning with pain, I closed my eyes and waited for it to stop.

The feeling ebbed away and I opened my eyes again to see Dovestar in front of me.

"With this life," she meowed, "I give you nobility." At once, a huge weight seemed to settle onto my shoulders. I pressed my body into the ground, struggling to breathe under the weight of responsibility.

The force lessened and I gasped in a breath. When I looked up again, the next cat had appeared.

Mistpaw's old mentor, Whitebranch, stood in front of me, the fragrance of herbs still lingering in her fur. She stepped forward and rested her muzzle between my ears.

"With this life, I give you selflessness," she murmured. "Do not let the power of leadership corrupt your mind and always think of your Clanmates first."

A rush of pain flooded through me and I sank to the ground, groaning. Just when I thought I was about to die from it, the pain receded, leaving me shaking and gasping for breath. When I looked up again, a new cat had appeared.

Suneyes, my former Clanmate and the mother of Stonekit and Cloudkit, stood in front of me. As she leaned forward to rest her nose on my forehead, she whispered, "With this life, I give you hope. Even in your darkest hour, never lose sight of hope."

A blindingly bright light blossomed in front of my eyes, growing bigger and bigger until it obscured my vision. I closed my eyes to get away from the light, but it was still there, shining in front of my eyelids. Then, it was gone and I opened my eyes.

Suneyes was gone; she had backed into the circle of cats. Blinking black spots out of my vision, I looked around for the cat who would give me my eighth life. I saw the large, black cat who I had seen sitting beside Robinstripe earlier padding toward me.

"My name is Nightstar," he meowed. "I was the leader of AirClan before Dovestar." He sat down right in front of me. "With this life, I give you determination," he continued, "You will need it in the moons to come."

I braced myself for the brief flash of pain that went through my body like a bolt of lightning – quick but excruciating.

Nightstar's eyes flashed. "Are you determined enough to be a leader?" he asked quietly.

I met his gaze, his dark amber eyes intense enough to burn a hole right through me. "I-I think so; maybe," I gasped.

Nightstar closed his eyes. "Perhaps soon you will find strength within yourself." With his last words still hanging in the air, Nightstar slipped back amongst the ranks of StarClan.

A black and white shape moved beside me and I jumped, whipping around to stare at the ninth cat. It was Birdpelt.

Skypaw's and Breezepaw's mother stood before me, her green eyes sparkling with stars. "With this life, I give you patience," she said.

I felt as though my fur had been ripped off. Writhing on the ground, I felt Birdpelt lean closer. "Give my love to my kits," she whispered in my ear.

As the pain vanished, I sat up and looked around at Dovestar. Though I felt weak and shaky from the ordeal of receiving my nine lives, I tried to hold my head high.

"What about my tenth gift?" I asked. "You only gave me nine."

Dovestar dipped her head. "I did not forget," she meowed. She flicked her tail at Nightstar, who padded forward to stand beside Dovestar.

"I gave you a life for determination," he rumbled, "Are you determined enough to learn how to be a leader?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Then your tenth gift is this; I will be your StarClan mentor. I will teach you how to be a better leader every night in your dreams."

I dipped my head to him. "Thank you."

There is one more thing," Nightstar said, his voice slightly raised. I looked up to stare curiously at him. "You must choose a deputy, but you must not choose based on age alone. Make absolute sure you choose the best cat in the Clan for the role of deputy."

"What do you mean?" I tried to ask. Before I could get all the words out, a cloud of whirling stars and dust obscured my vision and I felt myself falling back to the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I opened my eyes in the dark leader's den. Looking around, I spotted the shadowy outline of a cat. Squinting, I tried to make out who it was. Then, she spoke, and I knew exactly who was sitting in Dovestar's den.

"Snowstar, you're awake!"

"Mistpaw, no! Don't call me Snowstar! I'm still Snowpaw."

"Why don't you want your leader name?"

"I don't feel like a leader."

Mistpaw touched her tail briefly to my shoulder before whipping it away and meowing, "The moon is almost at its highest point. The warrior code says a leader must choose a new deputy before moonhigh."

My stomach turned over. How could I have not thought of this earlier?

"I'll wait outside while you make your decision." Mistpaw padded out into the moonlit clearing.

I sat up, stretched, and began to think. Nightstar's words came back to me. He had said something about not looking for age alone in a deputy.

Could he have meant that a kit should be deputy? I shook my head. Though a kit would certainly be eager to be a deputy, they were too inexperienced. I needed a cat whose decisions I could trust and whose advice would be worth listening to. A kit could not be deputy.

What if Nightstar was warning against choosing Leafwhisker? As the oldest cat left alive, she would be the obvious choice. However, I needed a deputy I knew well – one I could trust with my life without a second thought. Even though Leafwhisker was experienced, she fulfilled neither requirement. I decided that must be what Nightstar was talking about.

There were only five cats left to choose from – Skypaw, Breezepaw, Blackpaw, Rainpaw, and Mistpaw.

Mistpaw obviously couldn't be the deputy – she was the medicine cat.

Could Rainpaw be deputy? I dismissed the thought immediately. If Rainpaw was too scared to be leader, he must be too scared to be deputy.

What about Blackpaw? I caught a glimpse of him through the den entrance, still crouched in the center of the clearing. Poor Blackpaw had had a large family, and every single one of them had been slaughtered by the eagles. No, Blackpaw needed more time to grieve.

Would Breezepaw make a good deputy? Maybe he would. Breezepaw was rather ambitious, but a better choice than Blackpaw or Rainpaw.

Who would make the best deputy out of them all, though? I still remembered, when I had been chosen as leader, who had kept a cool head and picked the best choice. Breezepaw wouldn't make the best deputy, but Skypaw would. Satisfied with my decision, I rose and padded out of the leader's den.

The whole Clan was gathered in the clearing; one queen, five apprentices, and four kits. They looked up as I approached, their eyes reflecting the light of the moonhigh moon.

Taking a deep breath, I faced my Clan. "I have made my decision," I said, and felt the attention of the cats around me sharpen. "I say these words before StarClan, so that they may hear and approve my choice." I hesitated for a heartbeat, wondering if Nightstar really did approve of my judgment. "Skypaw will be the new deputy of AirClan."

I saw a flicker of surprise dart across Skypaw's expression and thought, _Don't be startled, Skypaw. In your heart of hearts, you must have known this was coming._

Stepping forward, /Skypaw dipped her head and meowed, "I promise to be the best deputy I can be, Snowpaw."

It was my turn to try and hide my surprise – Skypaw had used my apprentice name. Catching Mistpaw's eye, I saw her wink at me. I realized she must have told the Clan that I still wanted to be called Snowpaw.

I looked back at Skypaw and felt a small bubble of happiness, the first since the eagle attack, form in my chest. I had completed my first challenge of leadership successfully.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A starry clearing formed around me, the crescent moon above flooding the area with light. Everything was quiet and peaceful in my StarClan dream.

"Good evening, Snowpaw."

Starting, I whipped around to see who had spoken. It was Nightstar.

"Are you ready to learn how to be a leader?" he asked, his eyes sparkling in the starlight.

Relaxing, I nodded.

Nightstar stood and walked right out of the clearing without another work. Wondering what he had in mind, I settled into a comfortable crouch, waiting for him to return.

I never knew how long I was in that clearing. The shadows of the trees surrounding me moved from one side of the clearing to the other. I wondered when Nightstar would return.

Just when I started feeling a bit sleepy, I heard a faint rustling noise, like a cat racing through the forest, growing louder and louder.

Nightstar burst into the clearing, scattering broken branches and bits of leaf, letting out a yowl as though a pack of foxes was on his tail.

Panicking, I leaped to my paws and screeched, "What's wrong?"

"Badgers!" Nightstar gasped, "Three of them! They're heading this way!"

My mind went blank with terror. Three badgers? Glancing around, I saw the starry trees and bushes crowding in menacingly and casting their dark shadows on the ground.

"Are-are there any other cats around?" I asked, forcing myself to speak.

"No," Nightstar panted, "No, it's just us."

I looked in the direction he had come from and decided that the badgers must be too close to fly away from.

"We'll have to fight," I decided. Bracing my paws against the grassy ground, I unsheathed my claws and prepared for battle.

"Great StarClan, Snowpaw, really?"

I looked around at Nightstar, confused. My mentor rolled his eyes.

"If this was real, we'd be dead by now. What do you think you did wrong?"

I thought hard. Surely, I'd done everything right? I had assessed the situation, explored all possible options, and come to the best decision.

"I'm not sure," I meowed finally.

"Snowpaw, you have the makings of a great leader," I puffed out my chest proudly, "but your reaction time needs to be quicker!" I shrank inside my pelt. "I told you there were three badgers. You see only two cats. Two cats cannot fight three badgers without being brutally murdered. There was only one decision that could have gotten us out of this with our lives; flying away!"

"Oh." I stared at the ground, my pelt hot with embarrassment. I had failed.

"This is your first training session," Nightstar reminded me, "Don't expect to do everything right the first time."

I nodded.

"Now, are you ready for your next scenario?"

I took a deep, steadying breath and looked up. "I am."

"All right. Here's your next one."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**** I have seen how many views I have gotten. As of the last time I checked, the number rested at 180. While that is impressive for merely six chapters, I do like to open my email and see that a bunch of people have reviewed. I'm sure there are many others on FanFiction who are just like me. I will keep posting chapters whatever happens, but I would like reviews. Thanks a bunch! **_**~Snowfall out~**_

Chapter 7

A cold wind ruffled my fur as I soared over a jagged mountain peak, the valley beyond brought into sight. Beside me flew Breezepaw and Rainpaw, who were gazing around at the sky, searching for birds. We were on a hunting patrol.

I glanced around below me, and then turned my head to look to the side. Flipping my head up, I scanned the sky overhead.

Nothing.

Growling softly with frustration, I turned my eyes to face forwards again. Then, I saw something.

Hovering in front of us, far away, was a dark shape. I squinted at it, narrowing my eyes to block some of the bright sunlight. I could make out a pair of wings attached to a small, slender body. It looked very much like a bird.

"Up ahead!" I called over the rushing wind. Breezepaw and Rainpaw immediately fixed their eyes forward to the bird.

At a flick of my tail, we split up to surround the bird; Rainpaw flew to one side, I flew to the other side, and Breezepaw flew right at it. It was the normal hunting tactic we used – surround the prey, then swoop in for the kill.

When I was over halfway there, I heard Breezepaw cry out in panic. Annoyed, I turned to calm him, worried our prey would hear.

However, there was no way to force Breezepaw into silence. He turned, his eyes wild with terror, and propelled himself in the opposite direction as fast as his wings could carry him.

Confused, I glanced around at the bird. And my heart froze. It was not a tasty pigeon or blackbird like I'd thought. It was an eagle.

I screeched in fear and swung around in a circle, speeding away after Breezepaw. I heard Rainpaw yowling behind me and hoped that he, also, had realized the danger and was now retreating.

My wings were aching with the effort to keep flying when I finally reached the camp. Breezepaw had touched down before me and was hurrying the others into tree-holes. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Rainpaw speeding toward us.

As I looked beyond the small tabby, I saw a giant mass of feathers and talons rise over the peak of the nearest mountain. Its beady eyes flashed at me as it opened its beak wide and let out a squawk of rage and frustration.

"Come on, we have to get to safety!" I cried, and raced towards two kits, Stonekit and Cloudkit, who were still sitting in the clearing. Grabbing Stonekit's scruff, I bundled him and his sister down a hole.

I looked back at the clearing and, seeing it deserted, slipped down into safety with Stonekit and Cloudkit.

The eagle landed in the clearing, its talons gouging long, deep scars in the ground and its black eyes sweeping the deserted clearing, looking for stragglers.

I gasped as it paused, fixing its eyes on the hole I shared with the two kits. Its evil eyes locked with mine, and it took a step forward.

Then, it moved on, sweeping the clearing once more with its eyes. Shrieking with frustration, the giant bird rose into the air and soared away over the mountains.

It was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A moon had passed since AirClan's scare with the eagle. Stonekit and Cloudkit had reached the age of six moons, so I decided to begin mentoring Stonepaw and make Skypaw mentor to Cloudpaw.

It was the first day Stonepaw and Cloudpaw were allowed out of camp. We stood in the center of the clearing, wings unfurled and ready to fly. One by one, we leaped into the air and let the wind carry us into the air and let the wind carry us into the open sky.

I led the new apprentices away from the Camp Mountain and into the territory, Skypaw keeping a lookout behind for eagles. Stonepaw and Cloudpaw seemed to be amazed by everything they saw. Stifling a purr, I quit watching the apprentices and focused on navigating our territory.

The first landmark we came across was the Waterfall. The Waterfall was a roaring, rushing mass of water, tumbling down the side of a large mountain. It splashed white water into the valley below, dropping down sheer cliffs of stone. It was something to fill any cat with awe.

We landed on a flat stretch of rock to rest and admire the Valley. The Valley was the largest valley in AirClan's territory. On the side closest to the camp was the Lake; a giant expanse of water fed by the Waterfall and feeding the Stream. On the opposite side from where we perched, the Good Hunting Mountain loomed, covered in thick forests that allowed prey to safely breed and raise their young. It was always a great place to find food, which I pointed out to Stonepaw and Cloudpaw. However, we couldn't hunt there all the time or the Good Hunting Mountain would turn into the No Prey Mountain.

Our break over, I beckoned with my tail to Skypaw, Stonepaw, and Cloudpaw. "Come on," I meowed, "Let's fly around a bit; see the territory up close."

My three companions rose and padded beside me to the edge of a cliff, and then followed me into the air once more.

We flew across the Valley, taking a curved route to admire the Stream. As we came level with the Good Hunting Mountain, a flick of white birds suddenly burst from amongst the leafy trees.

"See?" I called back to the new apprentices, "This is the best place to find prey in the entire territory!"

We soared onward and soon, the Good Hunting Mountain was behind us. Up ahead stood more menacing territory.

Eagle Mountain, the tallest mountain in our territory and the source of the unfriendly birds who had killed our Clanmates, loomed threateningly in the distance. Nowadays we never went near it, for obvious reasons.

As we watched, a lone eagle rose from amongst the rocks. It hovered in the air for a heartbeat, before swooping down to land on the mountain once more.

"Can we go back to camp now?" Cloudpaw whimpered.

Skypaw flew over to her and rested her tail on Cloudpaw's shoulder. "Are you frightened of the eagle?" she asked softly.

Cloudpaw shook her head. "No, my wings are getting tired."

"All right. Come on, Stonepaw," I called, circling around to head back to camp.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"The fox's burrow would have two exits – the main exit and the escape exit. Once the main one is located, we would have to scout around the area and fins the escape exit, which would be smaller and cleverly hidden from view."

I unsheathed my claws and scraped them across the dusty ground beneath my paws. "Here's the burrow." I slashed twice more at either side of the burrow diagram. "Here are the two exits. Now, since there are two cats and two exits, we can split up and attack different sides, trapping the fox and the two cubs inside. Then, it would be easy to finish them off."

My plan complete, I looked up at Nightstar. "Was that good?" I asked anxiously.

Nightstar gazed down at the diagram. "Almost," he meowed, and my heart sank. I'd gotten something wrong again. "Don't separate us, or we'd be easy prey for a cornered mother fox."

I nodded, understanding the truth in his words. "You're right. The fox would be extra protective and vicious because of her two cubs." I paused for a moment, considering what to do. "Then we can block off the escape exit and try to lure the fox out together." I looked down and scratched a few lines across the escape exit on the drawing.

Nightstar purred. "Very good! You're getting much better at this."

I puffed out my chest and raised my chin, smiling broadly as happiness and pride swam through me.

"You can even use your skills in real life now."

A worm of doubt crept into my mind. "What is it?" I asked, "Are-are you talking about fighting the eagles? Will there be a huge tragedy?"

"You will know when the time comes," Nightstar replied in a maddeningly calm and mischievous voice. He rose, dipped his head to me (I returned the gesture) and strode out of the clearing.

I sighed, exasperated, and closed my eyes to return to the leader's den.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Hey, Snowpaw!"

"Yeah?"

"Come share a falcon with us!"

I stared over at the other apprentices, amazed. "Who managed to catch a falcon?" I asked.

Skypaw nodded and Blackpaw, Rainpaw, and Cloudpaw. "They did. "It'll feed all of us apprentices!"

Blackpaw smiled at Skypaw and I while Rainpaw and Cloudpaw looked at their paws, filled with pride and embarrassment.

"Sure," I meowed and bounded over to the others, still marveling at the huge falcon lying at their paws.

Crowding around the feathery beast, the apprentices began to eat.

The succulent meat sent me into quivers of delight. Spitting out the feathers, I ripped off another mouthful.

A loud purr from Stonepaw made me look around. Breezepaw had just bitten off a huge bite, and feathers were sticking out of his mouth. All of the apprentices began laughing, including Breezepaw. Brown feathers sprayed over the grass, covering my white fur.

Just as Blackpaw finished his last mouthful, a voice rang out across the clearing. "Eagles!" screeched Leafwhisker.

My amusement gone, I scrambled to my paws, staring around at Leafwhisker, silhouetted against the setting sun, standing on a boulder at the edge of camp.

"Quick, down the tree-holes!" Skypaw cried. She and Blackpaw raced for one, while Rainpaw grabbed Mosskit and Windkit and disappeared down another. Cloudpaw, Stonepaw, Breezepaw, and I sprinted for two holes near the elders' den.

I tumbled down into safety with Breezpaw, my heart hammering in my chest, and breathed a sigh of relief. The Clan was safe.

As if to contradict my thoughts, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the camp. Frozen with horror, I recognized Leafwhisker's voice.

Turning hurriedly to look out the entrance to the hole, I saw Leafwhisker dashing across the camp, a swarm of five eagles behind her. The eagles were gaining on her.

Suddenly, I spotted a tree-hole a tree-length in front of my Clanmate. Even though the eagles were closing the gap between themselves and Leafwhisker, she was going to make it to the hole!

Or was she going to make it? I watched fearfully as one of the five eagles separated itself from the others with a cry of annoyance, swinging around to cut off Leafwhisker's escape. I saw the terror in her eyes as she realized there was no way out.

"No!"

A single word forced itself from me as I saw the eagles moving in for the kill. I didn't want to watch, but I couldn't move. My limbs were frozen with disbelief.

Then, Breezepaw answered my unspoken wish. He stepped forward, blocking my gaze with his thick, black and white fur. I caught a glimpse of his face, stricken with horror. It looked just like how my expression felt.

I heard a screech of pain from the clearing, quickly cut off and I closed my eyes with grief. I couldn't believe it. Leafwhisker couldn't be dead! She just couldn't be!

The sound of racing paws thrumming on the ground drew my attention. As the warmth of Breezepaw's fur left my side, I opened my eyes to see Skypaw, Blackpaw, Breezepaw, Rainpaw, Stonepaw, Cloudpaw, and even Mistpaw leaping through the air, landing on the eagles and ripping out huge clumps of feathers. The eagles, confused by the sudden appearance of seven cats and pain-ridden, squawked indignantly and began flapping their wings, trying to get away. I followed Breezepaw, soaring up to slash at an eagle's underbelly. With a screech of alarm, it took off, flying away over the mountains.

My heart in my throat, I looked back at Leafwhisker, lying motionless on the hard ground.

She was dead.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A patter of small paws could be heard once the noise of the attacking eagles died away. Glancing around, I saw Mosskit and Windkit dashing across the blood-spattered grass to their mother.

"Leafwhisker!" Mosskit screamed and flung himself onto her body, sobbing. Windkit, a pace behind his brother, placed a paw on Mosskit's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, burying his muzzle in Leafwhisker's cooling fur as he did so.

Mistpaw, an eagle feather caught in her back claw, bounded over to the two grieving kits and curled around them, keeping them warm and safe.

As the other apprentices landed, Skypaw looked over at me, grief flashing in her green eyes. "This camp is much too exposed," she murmured, glancing at Leafwhisker's motionless body.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. I moved closer to my deputy to hear her next words.

"We have to move to a different camp. The eagles know we're here. If we move, there's a lot less of a chance that something like this will happen again."

I could hear the truth in her words, but where else was there a place suitable for a camp? The great Airstar, founder of AirClan, had picked this spot as a camp for a good reason. I expressed this concern to Skypaw, who merely smiled grimly.

"I know of a few caves we could check out tomorrow," she replied.

Nodding ascent, I turned back to my Clan. "Blackpaw! Rainpaw!" I called.

The two apprentices looked around as I spoke their names.

"Could you help Mosskit and Windkit bury Leafwhisker in the morning?"

They nodded and I smiled. Settling down into a crouch beside Skypaw, I prepared to stay up all night in a silent vigil for Leafwhisker. I knew Mosskit and Windkit would be furious if anyone in the entire Clan went to their dens to sleep tonight.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**** I have gotten many questions from readers about when Skypaw, Breezepaw, Blackpaw, and Rainpaw will receive their warrior names. Snowpaw, however, is so distracted by the eagles that she completely forgets about giving them their new names. Even though they have all earned the rank of warrior, they will not receive their names until the end of the book. I hope this answers your questions! ~Snowfall out~**

Chapter 12

Stars swirled around me, forming a sparkling clearing. I blinked, confused that I was in StarClan. Then, I groaned unhappily. I must have accidentally fallen asleep during the vigil.

_Mosskit and Windkit will kill me_ I thought, dreading the two kits' reactions.

"Good evening, Snowpaw."

I heard Nightstar's voice behind me. "No, it isn't," I muttered, thinking of Leafwhisker.

Nightstar ignored this. "Are you ready to start training again?"

"No!" I exclaimed.

Nightstar blinked. "Why not?"

I looked at my paws and recounted the story of the eagle attack and Leafwhisker's death.

When I finished, Nightstar looked thoughtful. "You did the right thing, Snowpaw," he meowed, "But next time make sure you check that every cat is safe before heading into the tree roots yourself."

"But my mistake resulted in the death of a cat," I murmured sadly.

"Snowpaw, pull yourself together!" Nightstar snapped, startling me out of my misery. "It was always Leafwhisker's destiny to die, no matter what you did. You couldn't have changed the eagles' minds! You couldn't have made Leafwhisker run any faster! You couldn't have made a tree-hole appear out of nowhere!" In a gentler voice, he continued, "A great leader always learns from her mistakes. You are a great leader, Snowpaw. Never again will something like this happen."

Reassured, I smiled at Nightstar. "Thanks," I said, and Nightstar dipped his head. "I think I'm ready to start training now."

Nightstar smiled back at me. "Good. Now, let's see how you deal with this."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I soared through the air, the wind whipping my fur and the mountains and valleys rising and falling beneath me. It was the day after Leafwhisker's death, and Skypaw, Breezepaw, and I were going to find a new camp.

"Here's the first cave!" Skypaw called above the roaring winds. Looking ahead, I saw a dark opening in the cliffs. I angled my wings towards it, flicking my tail back and forth to keep my balance, and shot through the opening.

Immediately, a dark wall of stone rushed up to meet me and I flared my wings to avoid a crash. Landing on the rock floor, I gazed around the cave as Breezepaw and Skypaw followed me in.

The cave was really quite small. There were no extra runnels leading off of it and the while Clan would be cramped if forced to live here.

"No, this doesn't look good," Breezepaw meowed, echoing my own thoughts.

Skypaw nodded. "I'd forgotten how small it was."

"All right, then. We are all agreed that this cave will not work," I said. "Skypaw, you said there were more caves, right?"

Skypaw nodded again. "Yes, there are four more."

"Then let's check those out," Breezepaw announced. He padded to the cave entrance, crouched, and sprang off into the air. Skypaw and I followed quickly.

We arrived at the next cave. This one was plenty big and had fresh water for drinking. The only bad part was pointed out by Skypaw.

"Look at those cracks in the ceiling!"

I raised my eyes and spotted huge, long cracks in the rock.

"Yeah, so?" Breezepaw asked.

Skypaw shot her brother a _Don't be stupid_ look. "This cave could fall on our heads at any moment. Look over there; part of the rock has already fallen!"

"It's perfect, though!" I cried, gazing around at the cave.

"Yes, but it's unsafe. Would you like to be responsible for the death of a Clanmate?"

That shut me up.

Skypaw, spotting my expression, padded to my side and rested her tail-tip on my shoulder. "Snowpaw, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's ok." My voice sounded hollow and dead, even to myself.

"Snowpaw, Leafwhisker's death wasn't your fault! It was the eagles' fault!"

"Let's just go," I meowed, moving to the cave entrance.

"Snowpaw-"

"Let's go," I half growled.

Skypaw didn't argue.

The third cave was just like the first one; too small. It was too low for flying and way too many stalagmites and stalactites poked out of the rocks.

"This won't work at all," I declared, and Skypaw and Breezepaw were quick to agree. We moved on.

The fourth cave was a little on the small side – definitely too small to fit a whole Clan. Still, it appeared to be the best cave we had seen so far.

"It might work," Breezepaw said tentatively, sniffing at a deep pool of water. "This is certainly fresh water." He lapped up a little of the water as if to prove it was good for drinking,

"You're right," Skypaw agreed. "This might be able to work. I mean, it'll only have to work for a little while, and then we can move back to our old camp."

I nodded, looking around the cave. "It's a bit small, though. Let's look at the fifth cave first, and then we can decide." The other apprentices agreed and we flew out of the cave again.

As we approached the fifth cave, I heard a roaring, rushing sound. We rounded the last mountain and I barely horror; the noise of the waterfall ahead drowned out most other sounds.

I looked around at my deputy. She had halted, which must mean the cave was near. Glancing around, I saw nothing; no dark hole in the mountainside, no shadowy indent; nothing.

"Where is it?" I yowled, confused.

"The river must have changed its course," Skypaw shouted back. "The cave is hidden behind the waterfall!"

I stared at the rushing wall of water. "There's no way we'll get through that!"

"Then the fourth cave will have to work!" Breezepaw called.

Skypaw nodded. "The fourth cave, it is, then!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I led my Clan across the blue sky, carrying a couple of birds by their wings. To one side flew Mistpaw and Cloudpaw, burdened with healing herbs, and Blackpaw, who carried Mosskit by the scruff of his neck and Windkit on his back. To the other side soared Skypaw and Breezepaw, holding a falcon between the two of them. Behind me, Rainpaw and Stonepaw had tucked bundles of rolled up moss under their chins while their mouths were stuffed full of bracken fronds. We were heading to our new camp.

_It's very lucky_ I thought _that we're able to transport all our supplies to our new camp in just one trip._ Of course, we would have to catch more fresh-kill and collect more bedding. Mistpaw had also mentioned she was running low on _yarrow_, whatever _yarrow_ was.

We rounded a tall, rocky mountain and the cave entrance came into sight. I angled my wings and glided through the shadowy, circular hole, landing lightly on the stone floor.

Though the cave was small, it had plenty of open space. At least, it had plenty compared to the cave where all the space was taken up by columns of stone. The roof rose in an arc above our heads and only one pillar of rock joined it to the stone beneath our paws. There were two tunnels leading off of the main cave – one smaller and one larger. The large pool of fresh water Breezepaw had noticed earlier stretched across one side of the cave, a small, rock ledge on the opposite side. A large, flat area by the other wall could easily be made into a den or two. The single pillar of stone in the center had a small hollow at its base and, about halfway up, the pillar suddenly became skinnier, forming a ledge on one side. I decided immediately that that would be the Tall-Rock.

"Well, I think the cave will work." Turning, I saw Mistpaw looking around the dark cave with interest. I felt a warm glow of gratitude at her words. _At least one cat likes the cave Skypaw, Breezepaw, and I decided on._

Blackpaw set down Mosskit, allowed Windkit to scramble off of his back, and glanced over at Rainpaw and Stonepaw, who had bundles of bedding lying at their paws. "I don't think we'll be able to set up nests tonight," he meowed. "Look, the sun's already setting!" He flicked his tail towards the entrance, through which we could see the sun, a great ball of flaming yellow, sinking out of sight behind the mountains. "I think we should just sleep on the ground tonight."

Breezepaw, Rainpaw, and Cloudpaw nodded at his words. "You're right. Soon, night will be upon us," Breezepaw said.

The cats of AirClan clustered near the side of the cave for warmth. I lay between Rainpaw and Skypaw, my back pressed against Rainpaw's to keep away the nighttime chills. With a sigh, my eyes closed and I fell into a deep sleep, exhausted by the day's work.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I opened my eyes and saw four starry, black paws in front of me. Sighing, I raised my eyes to meet those of the cat who had summoned me – Nightstar. I _really_ didn't want to train tonight; I had a lot of work to do the next day.

As I clambered to my paws, he meowed, "I have been watching you from the skies. Tell me, how do you like the new cave?"

"Well, it's quite small," I confessed, "and it's rather hard to spot sometimes from the outside, but it has fresh water and is the best camp substitute we could find."

Nightstar's dark, amber eyes flashed in the moonlight. "You mark that it's hard to see as a fault, but have you realized that it is also hard for an eagle to spot?"

I blinked. "Um… no, I didn't think of that," I said.

My StarClan mentor closed his eyes and lowered his muzzle. "Then this cave is better than you realized."

"I guess."

Nightstar snorted. "You guess," he repeated. When I didn't answer, he leaned closer to me. "I approve of your decision-making skills, Snowpaw," he murmured quietly in my ear.

My eyes widened in surprise and pride, but I couldn't prevent my next words from tumbling out of my mouth. "My decision-making skills are something to approve of? Like they were when they resulted in Leafwhisker joining you in the stars?"

Nightstar sighed. "Oh, Snowpaw, not this again! Don't let Leafwhisker die in vain. Know what you will do next time. Make this cave work as well as possible until the eagles are no longer a threat."

I stared at Nightstar, amazed. "What do you mean? Will the eagles eventually go away? Will we survive?" I tried to ask, but Nightstar merely gave me one last glance before turning and padding through the whirlwind of stars and smoke that sucked me up and hurled me back to the cave, to where my Clan slept.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

A paw poked my side, hard. I groaned and rolled over, but didn't open my eyes. The paw came again, even harder this time. With it came a voice.

"Get up, Snowpaw!"

"Skypaw?"

I opened my eyes to see a black and white paw hovering a mouselength above my flank, claws extended this time. With a short cry of surprise, I rolled away and looked up to see my deputy standing over me.

"What was that for?" I asked crossly, standing up and shaking out my fur.

"You overslept. Look, the sun's already up!" Skypaw nodded towards the cave entrance, through which a bright blue sky showed. I stared at it – I hadn't overslept since I was a kit! It must have been the angle of the cave, I decided. The entrance faced towards the setting sun, not the rising sun. The bright sunlight that usually opened my eyes could not have touched me until past sunhigh. For a brief moment, I missed our old camp so badly it was like a thorn in my heart.

I felt movement behind me and I turned around to see Blackpaw sitting up, his jaws gaping wide and his tongue curling in a yawn. "I'm hungry; is there any fresh-kill left?"

Breezepaw was the closest to where we had dropped the prey the previous night. He prodded the mound of feathers with a paw and meowed, "I think there's barely enough for every cat to eat." He looked up at Rainpaw. "Do you want to hunt with me once we've had our share of food?"

Rainpaw nodded. "Sure, Breezepaw."

Skypaw looked around at the other cats. "We have a lot of work to do," she said, "so every cat will have to do their part."

"Even us?" Mosskit and Windkit bounded forward, their eyes aglow with excitement.

"Yes, even you," Skypaw purred, smiling down at the energetic kits. "You two can explore the tunnels and see what's there."

The kits squealed ecstatically and dashed off to the two tunnels leading off of the main cave. Skypaw looked after them for a moment before turning once more to the group of apprentices.

"Cloudpaw and Stonepaw, you can help Mistpaw organize her herbs and collect more of whatever she is low on. Blackpaw, you can guard the entrance and keep a watch for eagles. Snowpaw, you and I will go collect more moss for nests." She paused, considering her Clanmates. "Ok, every cat has a job. Let's go, Snowpaw!"

I got to my paws, marveling at how Skypaw had taken control of the situation, just like she'd done when I had been chosen as leader. Skypaw padded beside me as we walked to the cave entrance, hesitated for a moment, and then unfurled our wings and took off into the air.

As we flew towards the Stream, I looked over at Skypaw and meowed, "You're turning into a great deputy, like Treeclaw was."

Skypaw dipped her head in recognition of my words and replied, "You are becoming a great leader, like Dovestar was.

I gave a derisive snort. "Yeah, right. Dovestar wouldn't have let Leafwhisker die."

Skypaw didn't reply. She kept flying, her eyes fixed on the mountain in front of us. It was as if she actually believed what she had said, but how could that be?

I sighed. "Let's just find that moss, ok?"

* * *

**Review please?**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Skypaw and I landed in the cave, weighed down by as much moss and bracken as we could carry. As we set the bedding down next to the bundles brought from our old camp, Breezepaw hurried over.

"Windkit and Mosskit have finished their exploration of the caves," he informed us. "We have decided where the dens will be, if you approve." We padded further into the cave and Breezepaw began pointing out the different dens with his tail.

"The smaller tunnel leads to a cave which could be the nursery. The other tunnel leads to a larger cave which could be both the warriors' den and the leader's den. Rainpaw and I were thinking that the apprentices' den would be too small for all of us, so those cats who were apprentices when the eagles attacked the old camp could sleep in the warriors' den."

Breezepaw glanced at me and I nodded. "That's a great idea. Carry on."

Breezepaw flicked an ear at the ledge across the pool of water. "That's the apprentices' den. The medicine den is that flat area of rock by the entrance. The fresh-kill pile can be the small hollow by the stone pillar."

"The Tall-Rock," I corrected him. "The fresh-kill pile can be by the Tall-Rock."

Breezepaw nodded. "The Tall-Rock, it is, then." He paused, looking around the cave. "I think that's everything." He turned to look at Skypaw and I. "Do you like it?" he asked worriedly.

I smiled. "It's great! Let's start settling the right cats into the right dens."

Breezepaw grinned. "I'll tell Rainpaw. He'll be so pleased!"

As the black and white apprentice dashed off down the nursery tunnel, Skypaw and I began separating the large heap of moss into smaller piles to be moved to the different dens. While we worked, I thought about how the leader's den and the warriors' den were now joined in one cave; one tunnel. I would be sleeping with Skypaw, Breezepaw, Blackpaw, and Rainpaw, just like I'd done before the battle we had lost to the eagles; before the fight that had changed our lives forever.

I was happy with the new sleeping arrangements. The leader's den in the old camp sometimes got cold and lonely, but this cave would be worm with four other cats asleep there.

When the bedding was divided evenly, I grasped a bundle of moss and bracken and padded down the larger tunnel to the warriors' and leader's den. Hearing pawsteps behind me, I looked around to see Rainpaw following me, carrying the rest of the bedding in his mouth. I nodded in acknowledgement of his help and turned to focus on where I was putting my paws again.

We reached the cave and I dropped my load, looking around. Most of the area was circular, but there was a small alcove near the entrance tunnel that had room enough for a single nest. I assumed that was where I'd be sleeping.

I clawed out a clump of moss from the tightly packed bundle I had brought down the tunnel and picked up several strands of bracken, walking over to the recess in the rocky cave wall.

While Rainpaw worked on the nests for himself and the other three apprentices, I began weaving together the base for my nest. Once the bracken had been woven into a solid circle, I began packing in the moss, picking up strips of the springy, green material and placing them onto the bracken, tucking in the edges. I stacked up quite a few extra layers of moss on the sides to the nest formed a shallow scoop.

My nest done, I turned to help my Clanmate with the others before stepping back to admire our work.

"You know," Rainpaw meowed, "we could build a barrier of foliage between your nest and the others."

On the inside, I recoiled, flinching away from the idea, though outwardly, I was determined not to react. The other cats might think their leader was weak if I made any strong move toward staying with the older apprentices.

"No. This cave is only temporary, and it's not as if we have nothing else to do."

Rainpaw dipped his head to me. "Of course. I was just thinking – I mean, if you wanted some privacy or something–"

"It's fine. If we were staying here longer, it would have been a good idea."

Rainpaw shot me a quick grin. "Thanks," he meowed. "Should we head back to the main cave now? I think we've finished here."

I nodded in agreement and we padded back up the tunnel.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:**** Meh, short chapter. I promise the next one will be one of the longer chapters in this book, ok? **** I'll try to update quickly so you can read it.**

Chapter 18

We emerged into the rocky outer cave, filled with sunlight from the setting sun. The entire Clan sat there, their work evidently complete.

Leaping onto the Tall-Rock, I lifted my head and meowed, "Let all the cats gather." There was no need to yowl as my voice echoed around the cave, making it seem louder and allowing every cat to hear. They stopped talking amongst themselves at once and looked up at me.

As all eyes turned to face me, I suddenly became very nervous. This would be my first formal meeting with my Clanmates. _What if I disappoint them? What if I fail?_

Then, I caught Skypaw's gaze. As my best friend and the deputy, Skypaw had a lot of influence over me. She smiled encouragingly, and I felt a spark of courage in my heart. Giving Skypaw a tiny nod of gratitude, I turned back to the Clan as a whole.

"We have found this cave with the help of Skypaw and her knowledge of the territory's caverns," I began, and Skypaw was momentarily bathed in the Clan's praising stares. I started pacing as I continued. "We have, as a team, brought old supplies here, gathered new materials, and organized what we have. Thanks to our cooperation and hard work, we have made this cave suitable for cats to live in. This is our home!"

At my last sentence, I stopped in the center of the Tall-Rock with my tail in the air and my muzzle raised. The Clan stood in a wave of fur, their tails waving above them, breaking into yowls of approval and happiness. Relief surged through me, and I almost couldn't bring myself to say the next part of my speech.

As soon as I could make myself heard, I called, "This is our home until the eagles leave."

That stopped the cheers.

Blackpaw looked up at me from his place beside Skypaw. "Will the eagles ever go away? I mean, why would they? It's a great place to live and," he grimaced, "there's a relatively reliable source of prey nearby; us."

I hesitated, unsure of how to reply. Truthfully, I was as lost as any of them. I had no clue how we were supposed to defeat the eagles, and if we couldn't fight them, how were we supposed to make them leave? Blackpaw was right; the eagles had to reason not to stay.

"I'll think of something," I promised.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:**** Yes! Extra-long chapter! **** Sorry for the long wait, though. I've been busy with school as the inevitable life intervenes with story-writing. Hope you all enjoy! Thanks for reading!**

Chapter 19

I flew through the blue sky, dotted with white, fluffy clouds. Breezepaw and Stonepaw, the two other members of the hunting patrol, flew behind me, both carrying birds.

As I glanced over at them, I saw Breezepaw's eyes widen. Quickly, he transferred his blackbird from his mouth to his claws.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly before he could speak. "Is it an eagle?"

Breezepaw shook his head, staring straight ahead. "Dark clouds on the horizon!" he gasped fearfully.

"What?" I stared at the far edge of the sky, and, sure enough, a mass of dark gray clouds was building on the horizon, drawing slowly nearer.

"They're thunderstorm clouds!" I yowled, terrified.

"A thunderstorm's coming?"

"Yes!"

"That's really bad!"

"Do we have enough food to last a thunderstorm?"

"What if our wings get wet? We won't be able to fly!"

"Mmmph!"

I blinked and looked around at Stonepaw.

"Mmmph mmmph mmph mmmph!" he tried to meow.

"Stonepaw, I can't understand you," I said, "Your voice is blocked by a bunch of feathers!"

Stonepaw rolled his eyes and pulled his robin out of his mouth. "We have to get back to the cave!" he yowled.

Breezepaw nodded. "He's right. Come on!"

The three of us turned in midair and sped off back to the cave. As we neared the camp, I saw Rainpaw on guard duty outside. Beckoning to him, I shot through the mouth of the cave and alighted on the Tall-Rock.

Turning, I looked around the main cave, where every cat was gathered. I did a quick head count and came up with the number eight. My blood froze. Two cats were missing.

Rainpaw flew into the cave from his post as guard and I relaxed slightly. Nine cats were present.

"Where's Mistpaw?" Cloudpaw asked suddenly from the crowd. Fear seemed to sweep through the Clan. They looked around, calling out Mistpaw's name. There was no reply.

"I think she was going out to collect herbs," Blackpaw said uncertainly.

"She must still be out there!" squealed Windkit. "We have to go save her!"

I nodded. "You're right, Windkit. Skypaw, come on, we have to go find Mistpaw!"

Skypaw nodded and bounded towards the cave entrance. I followed close behind. Together, we leaped out of the cave and into the sky.

The changes that had taken place during the short span of time I was in the cave was incredible. The dark clouds had covered almost half of the distance between where Breezepaw had first spotted them and directly over top of us. The gentle breeze had turned into a roaring, ferocious wind that almost bent the feathers of my wings and blew me to one side.

Struggling back towards Skypaw, I yowled, "Where does Mistpaw normally hunt for herbs?"

"Not sure!" Skypaw called back. "Let's just scour the territory until we find her!"

I stared around helplessly. The territory was very large, and we couldn't hope to find the medicine cat apprentice before the storm reached us if we "just scoured the territory." However, we couldn't hope to have a proper discussion with the wind blasting around our ears.

"Follow me!" I screeched and dived for the meager shelter of a crack between two boulders.

Skypaw and I huddled together for warmth as the wind raged around us.

"Where would Mistpaw go to gather herbs?" I wondered aloud.

"Not Eagle Mountain," Skypaw meowed fervently. "It'd be too dangerous!"

"And not Good Hunting Mountain," I mused. "All the prey would eat the plants."

"Nothing would grow above the treeline."

"She wouldn't go to the Stone Mountains," I said firmly, referring to the huge mountains near the edge of our territory where nothing could grow, no matter how hard it tried to survive.

"Perhaps she went to the Lake or along the Stream." Skypaw suggested.

I nodded. The fresh water there would be able to water many plants growing along the edges. The tall, wide mountains surrounding the Valley would block the harshest winds, yet still allow sunlight in for most of the day.

"That sounds like a good idea," I agreed. "Let's go find Mistpaw."

As one, Skypaw and I spread our wings, crouched, and sprang off, away from the crack between the rocks, and began battling through the strong winds toward the Valley to find Mistpaw.

As we crested a mountain surrounding the Valley, I looked up to see the gray clouds completely cover the sun. If we didn't find Mistpaw soon, we would be stranded in the middle of our territory, lost with wet wings, so we couldn't fly. If we kept flying when the rain started, we could find ourselves plummeting through the air, our wings full of water, unable to fly.

"There!"

I barely heard Skypaw as she attempted to yowl over the howling winds around us. Twisting in midair, I stared around for our Clanmate.

A flash of light gray fur caught my eye. Mistpaw was crouching on a flat rock, picking a plant with pink flowers and wide, spiky leaves. She stripped the leaves from the small bush with practiced ease, placing them into a neat pile beside her.

A flicker of panic went through me like a bolt of lightning. _Mistpaw was protected from the worst of the winds by the mountains and she was so focused on the herbs she was collecting that she hadn't noticed the thunderclouds!_

"Mistpaw!" I shrieked as loudly as I could.

Mistpaw turned to look at us and she spotted the dark gray clouds above. I saw her eyes widen with horror. Quickly, she bent to pick up her herbs before flying away. As she crouched, ready to leap into the air, she spotted a few forgotten leaves lying on the rock. I saw her turn to pick them up, but fumbled with the leaves she already held just as a strong gust of wind swept through the Valley. Mistpaw let out a cry of frustration and bounded across the rock after her medicine, which fluttered away in the breeze.

I sighed in exasperation and dived for the rock. "Leave those herbs!" I called to Mistpaw before seizing a bunch of flowery plants from the herb pile and preparing to take off again. Skypaw and Mistpaw picked up the remaining leaves and followed me into the stormy sky.

As I jumped into the wind, I felt a few drops of water hit my fur. The rain had begun and three cats were still out of the cave.

The slight, misty rain turned into heavier droplets that splashed on out our and wings. In the distance, I spotted a flicker of forked lightning. As the following rumble of thunder pounded inside my chest, I felt a spasm of pure terror pass through my body. This was the first time I'd been out in the rain. _What if I fall and die?_

A second flash of light increased that fear. The elders had told me stories when I was a kit about warriors who were struck by lightning. Most died at once, and the few who survived were never the same again.

The sky was dark as though night had decided to come early and the rain soaked my back fur, oozing through to my skin. My wings felt like they had weights attached to them; they were harder than ever to drag through the air.

"There it is!"

I lifted my gaze to look straight ahead, shaking my head to rid my eyes of water.

Skypaw was right. As the next bolt of lightning snaked down from the storm clouds, touching an old, withered tree on a nearby mountain, I saw the black, circular hole that was the camp and, for a dark, rocky, shadow-filled cave, it had never looked more welcoming.

A loud creaking noise made me look up. The dead tree struck by lightning was shifting, groaning under the strain of trying to cling to the mountain it stood on. I knew we would make it past before the tree fell, so I urged Skypaw and Mistpaw onward, my eyes fixed on the cave.

Snap! A large branch broke away from the tree and began plummeting towards up, spinning end over end through the rain.

It seemed to drop in slow motion. I flapped my wings once, barely managing to drag myself out of harm's way. That was little help, though, as I was leading the group and my Clanmates were still behind me in the direct path of the plummeting bough. I saw Mistpaw soar forwards, inadvertently placing herself right beneath the branch.

A scream tore itself from my lips. "Mistpaw!"

The medicine cat apprentice looked up at the huge bough above her and her eyes grew wide, her pupils dilating in terror. She tried to dodge, but her wings, clogged with water, were dragging her back.

With an ugly thump of wood on flesh, the branch hit Mistpaw, knocking her from the air, and she began to fall.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"No!"

I was frozen with horror, my wings slowly beating the air. Mistpaw plummeted through the rain, her eyes fluttering closed. The herbs she carried spilled from her slack jaws like the tail on a comet, blown sideways by the ferocious wind.

All I could feel was a disbelieving sort of numbness. Mistpaw, dead? It could not be true. She was the only cat in the Clan who knew how to head. _How will we survive without her?_ I thought, panicking.

A brush of fur swept against my flank and I blinked, staring down at the two winged cats who had dived past me. It was Breezepaw and Rainpaw, coming to rescue Mistpaw.

"Get inside the cave!" Rainpaw yowled over the roaring wind as he seized Mistpaw's fur and dragged her onto Breezepaw's back. Automatically, I turned and soared through the air, where Blackpaw waited anxiously.

Landing in a long skid – my body didn't seem to be functioning well – I turned to see Skypaw, Breezepaw, Mistpaw, and Rainpaw touch down in the cave. All of them were soaked through, their wings dragging on the rocky floor.

As soon as every cat was in the cave, Blackpaw, Stonepaw, and Cloudpaw rushed over. Blackpaw guided Skypaw and I to one side of the cave where we could dry ourselves out of the way of the others. Stonepaw and Cloudpaw raced straight for Mistpaw, Stonepaw pausing to snatch up the herbs Skypaw and I had dropped onto the stone floor.

Breezepaw rolled Mistpaw off of his back and sat beside Rainpaw, breathing heavily. Mistpaw lay on her side, unmoving. A strip of white showed under her half-closed eyelids. Her foreleg lay at an unnatural angle, her shoulder fur matted with dark red blood.

I stared at her, sadness and worry battling each other inside me. As I watched, I realized her flank was rising and falling. The movement was faint and slow, but it was there.

"Mistpaw's still alive!" I gasped. Forgetting my wet wings and fur, I sprang to the light gray apprentice's side.

"What?" Cloudpaw poked her head forward, staring intently at Mistpaw. "Snowpaw's right!" Mistpaw is breathing!"

"Thank StarClan!" breathed Rainpaw, his shoulders sagging in relief.

"She looks like she's hanging on, but not for much longer unless we treat that shoulder," Blackpaw meowed anxiously. "It looks like it's broken!"

Cloudpaw nodded. "You're right. Stonepaw, bring those herbs over here." She poked Mistpaw with one claw. "I think she's fainted. I'll have to wake her up if I want to know how to heal her."

As Cloudpaw prodded Mistpaw again, I stepped back, just far enough to hear Skypaw's and Breezepaw's whispered conversation.

"We're so lucky Mistpaw's not dead," Skypaw murmured.

"I know! What would we have done without her? What _could_ we have done without her?"

"Nothing productive," Skypaw muttered and, even after all we'd been through, I felt a flicker of amusement, which strengthened slightly at her next words. "We'd probably have sat down and cried for a bit, then got around to drying ourselves, then wailed and cursed StarClan for a while, before eventually realizing that we need to pick a new medicine cat. Then, we would get into a huddle, send away Mosskit and Windkit, think for a bit, send the kits away again, think some more, get the kits to do something useful, and then finally pick someone to be the next medicine cat."

I heard Breezepaw stifle a purr. "Who would the medicine cat be, though? Maybe Cloudpaw?"

"Does it matter?" Skypaw asked softly. "Mistpaw's still alive. We should help her."

"Stonepaw and Cloudpaw are doing that. First, we need to get ourselves dry. We're all soaking wet!"

"Right." I heard the rasp of Skypaw's tongue against her fur and hastily copied her; bending down to draw my tongue across my white pelt, ruffling it the wrong way to warm myself up.

A soft moan came from the center of the cave – Mistpaw had gained consciousness. I whipped my head up to gaze anxiously across the camp.

"What – what happened?" she groaned, blinking around in a befuddled sort of way. "Why am I here? I thought I was flying!"

"You were!" Stonepaw exclaimed. "A big tree hit you and you fell, but Breezepaw and Rainpaw caught you and brought you back!"

"What?" Mistpaw tried to sit up, but fell back with a cry of pain.

"You hurt your shoulder," Cloudpaw explained. "Tell me what to do and I can heal you."

Mistpaw twisted around to stare at the clump of fur on her shoulder, matted with drying blood. "My shoulder's been broken," she murmured faintly. "Stonepaw, clean the wound. Cloudpaw, go to my den and get a flat stick and some long, light green leaves with pointy ends." Cloudpaw dashed away at once while Stonepaw crouched down, licking away the blood and dirt. By the time his sister had returned with the herbs, he was finished. "Cloudpaw, put the stick against my leg so that the end goes over my shoulder and fasten it with the leaves. Stonepaw, chew up those dark green leaves." Mistpaw flicked her tail at the small pile of herbs Stonepaw had collected off the floor when Skypaw and I had dropped them. "Then, put the paste on my shoulder."

The gray apprentice laid her head on her paws while Stonepaw and Cloudpaw worked, letting out her breath in a long sigh. She looked like she was about to fall asleep, despite the pain, which, I reminded myself, she probably was. It was late at night and she needed rest to heal.

Once the stick was secured in place, Mistpaw opened her eyes again. "Blackpaw, help Stonepaw and Cloudpaw move me to my nest. I need to sleep, as do the rest of you," she added sternly, staring around at her Clanmates. "All of you, get into your nests now. You must sleep!"

I let a tiny smile cross my face as I padded down to the warriors'/leader's den. Mistpaw was back to her old self, however much pain she was in.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I opened my eyes into a whirlwind of stars that solidified quickly, forming the same starry clearing I trained in every night. Nightstar sat before me, his dark amber eyes glinting in the starlight.

"How is AirClan?" he asked as I seated myself on the grass before him.

"Not good," I meowed grimly and recounted the story of Mistpaw's broken shoulder.

Nightstar listened silently as I spoke, his expression unreadable. When I finished the tale, he sighed. "What happened to make Mistpaw injured?" he asked.

I thought back to the tree that had been struck by lightning. _What could I have done to make sure Mistpaw was_ not _directly in the path of the falling branch?_

"When we first found her," I meowed slowly, "we hesitated before diving down to help her with the herbs."

"Exactly," Nightstar purred. "You've improved a lot since you became a leader."

Inwardly, I snorted derisively. "Cats are still getting injured… and killed," I reminded him.

Nightstar growled softly in frustration. "Snowpaw, you have to put Leafwhisker's death behind you! Yes, it was your fault and yes, you might have been able to change it if you'd been a bit more experienced, but you _learned from your mistake_, and that's all that really matters."

I shook my head slightly, sadly, but put down the retort that popped into my mind. I had, long ago, learned not to argue with Nightstar about Leafwhisker. He beat me down every time I tried. Instead, I asked, "Why do you think I've improved?"

Nightstar's eyes widened. He seemed to be surprised, though it was always hard to tell with Nightstar. "Do you remember your first ever training session, Snowpaw?"

I was a little confused at the question, but though back to the second night I'd spent as leader. "That was the badger exercise, right?" I asked. "The one where you raced in and asked me what to do? If it had been real, I would have killed us."

"When I asked you what you did wrong, you didn't know. You had absolutely no clue what you possibly could have done differently. Now, you can think back and figure out what you could have done better to avoid undesirable circumstances. However, you still need to improve enough to foresee the consequences of your actions before you can be a good leader."

"Oh," I murmured quietly.

Nightstar bowed his head. "A true leader always learns from his or her mistakes."

_That makes sense_ I thought, my confidence growing marginally stronger. _That makes perfect sense._


End file.
